Gameloft’s Asphalt 8 will be the first mobile game with Twitch streaming

Well that didn’t take long. Earlier this month, Twitch let the world know that they wanted to expand beyond the world of desktop computers and home consoles; that they wanted to show their audience what games in your pocket look like. A new mobile SDK, they announced, will allow developers to embed Twitch-streaming functionality right into their games.

And it looks like Asphalt 8 is going to be the game to kick things off.

A racing game that earned a damned near perfect score in our review last summer, Asphalt 8 will add in Twitch-functionality in a free update “soon.” Not only will players be able to stream gameplay, but video and audio courtesy of your iOS device’s front-facing camera. Streaming will be optimized for A7 chip devices (iPhone 5S, iPad Air, iPad Mini). There no word on whether older devices will be supported.

With a 24-hour livestream planned later this week on Gameloft’s own Twitch channel to show off the integration, it seems as though Gameloft is betting big on Twitch. It’s a smart move, too. Gameloft has a number of past titles that failed to reach the audience they were hoping for, but seem custom-built for the eSports nature of Twitch. Could livestreaming integration breathe new life into Heroes of Order & Chaos? Or maybe Blitz Brigade?

It will be interesting to see which game they decide to add Twitch to next.